Greg Dempster

After reading the last two articles we have published on form 16’s – because we are sure you have read them, you should have a clear understanding about the use of Form 16’s and what your responsibilities are under the Building Act 1975.

We will now walk you through the form step-by-step and clearly explain each part and how to fill it out. This will ensure you only fill in the parts you need to, and therefore only certify what you actually need to certify – possibly saving you from a lawsuit in the future.

Pool fencing rules and regulation save lives every day. However, as a building certifier I never cease to be surprised at the negative attitudes towards them. If you are looking for a way to get around pool fencing laws, this story is not for you.

We need to talk about separating walls and what the building certifier means when they refer to separating walls. Separating walls are essential to protect against noise and fire, but choosing the right installation or modifying an older system, can seem quite a daunting task. Here is The Oil Stone’s quick discussion.

This phrase “ABC of the BCA” is a simple but memorable one that I made up years ago. As a building certifier it has become an incredibly useful tool and has helped me to do my job well, every day. It does not matter if you are just starting a design, if you are halfway through a design, if you are looking at a building under construction, or if you are inspecting a fully completed building. If you apply this simple “ABC of the BCA” rule, you will begin to easily establish what you need to know and where to find it.

We regularly come across people who want to convert their existing shed into shed houses. Sometimes they have already been converted into a shed houses but there is no building approval. But what many don’t realise, is that there is a lot more to converting a shed to a house than just changing the appearance and fitting it out with a sweet interior.

We have all, at some time, been lucky enough to stay a night at the dreaded “Highway Motel” where the constant noise from the passing cars and trucks has left you about 39 shy of the required 40 winks. So why is this lucky?